Ash Barty, Alex de Minaur to lead Australian tennis team to Tokyo Olympics

SYDNEY, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Australia on Tuesday announced its tennis team for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games, with world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and world No. 15 Alex de Minaur included.

Sam Stosur, who will become the first Australian tennis player to play in five Olympic Games, is also a member of the team.

Stosur and Barty are joined by Ajla Tomljanovic in the women's singles, with Barty teaming up with Storm Sanders and Stosur with Ellen Perez in the women's doubles.

Rio Olympians John Millman, Nick Kyrgios and James Duckworth will join De Minaur in the men's singles, with Millman partnering Luke Saville, and John Peers playing alongside with De Minaur in the men's doubles.

2004 Olympic women's singles bronze medalist Alicia Molik will captain the women's team and national men's coach Jaymon Crabb will lead the men's team.

Five-time Olympian Stosur said she was proud of achieving this Olympic milestone.

"It's super special being able to represent your country in one Olympics, let alone five," Stosur said.

"I can't believe I'm still going at this point in time, but thankfully I was able to keep going and make it between London and Tokyo which I didn't ever think was going to be on the cards."

"To be part of a broader Australian team, that's just another level of representation and there's so many amazing, fantastic athletes, in the team every single year. You get to meet people that you'd never ever think that you'd be able to meet or talk to and whatever their sport is, they're the best in the country and some of the best in the world. To be part of that is absolutely incredible," she said.

World No. 1 Barty also makes history as Australia's first Indigenous Olympian in tennis.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said he was looking forward to seeing one of the country's biggest and strongest tennis teams head to Tokyo.

"Our players are always proud to step up and compete for Australia and it's fantastic to see our biggest ever Olympic tennis team, and one of our strongest, named for Tokyo next month," Tiley said.

On the same day, marathon swimmer Kai Edwards was also selected for the 10km open water swim, completing the full 37-strong Australian Olympic swimming team.

Edwards' selection took the number of athletes selected to 321 of an expected 450-480. Enditem